The Association for Computing Machinery has recognized Vern Paxson, with Berkeley Lab’s Computational Research Division, with its Grace Murray Hopper award for his research on how to measure Internet behavior. His techniques are used to assess new communications concepts, improve network performance, and prevent network intrusion. The award — named for the famed female Navy admiral and COBOL inventor — carries a $35,000 prize, provided by Google, Inc. Full story.

Medal for Chemical
Science’s Bergman

Bergman

Robert Bergman, with Berkeley Lab’s Chemical Sciences Division, has been selected to receive the 2008 Richards Medal by the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society. The medal is awarded every two years for conspicuous achievement in chemistry. Bergman has made contributions to the synthesis and chemistry of several types of organotransition metal complexes and to the understanding of the mechanisms of their reactions. Most recently he has been involved in the application of C-H activation reactions to problems in organic synthesis. Full story.

WORLD OF SCIENCE

Cloudy Outlook for Solar
Panels, Says Cal Study

Despite increasing popular support for solar photovoltaic panels in the United States, their costs far outweigh the benefits, according to a new analysis by Severin Borenstein, a professor at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and director of the UC Energy Institute. "Solar photovoltaic (PV) is a very exciting technology, but the current technology is not economic," said Borenstein. "We are throwing money away by installing the current solar PV technology, which is a loser." Full story.

Prize for Chemistry
Given to Marletta

Marletta

Michael Marletta, with Berkeley Lab’s Physical Biosciences Division and chair of UC Berkeley’s Chemistry Department, has won the 2008 Murray Goodman Memorial Prize for “contributions towards a molecular understanding of nitric oxide signaling and gas sensing using chemical and biophysical methods.” This prize is just one of many recent awards for Marletta, including the Emil Thomas Kaiser Award of the Protein Society (2007) and the American Chemical Society’s Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest (2007). Full story.

IN THE NEWS

Bridge Over Grids’
Muddled Waters

Interoperability between the two islands of SRM and SRB opens up opportunities for different grids to share data; for example, scientists using the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid could now process data from the U.S. TeraGrid. A team from the UK has successfully bridged these two key grid technologies. A demonstration of the bridging was first run by Alex Sim, with Berkeley Lab’s Computational Research Division, at SC07 in Reno, Nevada. “The demo showed interoperability of eleven different SRM implementations around the world based on the same specification, including data transfers between an SRB and BeStMan SRM,” Sim explains. Full story.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Prevent Bay Pollution;
No Waste Down the Drain

The Lab’s wastewater discharge permit from the East Bay Municipal Utility District prohibits the disposal of hazardous substances to the sanitary sewer. The Environmental Services Group would like to remind the Lab community that this includes disposal to laboratory sinks (with some exceptions), bathroom sinks and toilets, and even water fountain drains. Go here for more information, or call Robert Fox (x7327).